On the recordMay 17, 2012
The original Violence Against Women Act was championed by then-Senator Joe Biden, who understood that all women must be protected from domestic abuse and violence. He understood that many women are afraid to come forward to report abuse. The Violence Against Women Act gave women a better chance to live their lives without that fear. Again, the Senate has taken the lead. They already reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act and did it in a way that protects all women. It does not discriminate. It promises that America will stand by women; we will protect women, and we will prosecute their abusers. The Republican bill that barely passed this House yesterday breaks our solemn promise. I call on leadership to allow a fair up-or-down vote on the ``real'' Violence Against Women Act and not some watered- down, weakened version. We owe it to our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our friends, and to the memory of those we have lost to abuse. ____________________
